Flexible doll leg adapted for use with a walking mechanism



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FLEXIBLE DOLL LEG ADAPTER FOR USE WITHA WALKING MECHANISM Filed Jan. 30, 1957 5 50 7 6 7: /Z I Z4 2 76' 48 f 48 F/ 6 72 I 22' iiig 74 46 44 I, 52 s INVENIOR.

' forward the other leg will swing to the rear.

United States Patent FLEXIBLE DOLL LEG ADAPTED FOR USE WITH A WALKING MECHANISM David Cohn, Brooklyn, N. Y., assignor to Model Plastic Corporation, White Plains, N. Y., a corporation of New York Application January 30, 1957, Serial No. 637,156

2 Claims. (Cl. 46-161) A Walking doll is one in which the legs are interconnected by suitable mechanism so that when one leg swings One type of walking mechanism is shown in my Patent No. 2,754,621 of July 17, 1956, entitled Leg Mounting Structure for a Walking Doll, assigned to the assignee of this application, and the present invention is specifically illustrated in connection therewith, but it will be understood that any other walking mechanism could be employed.

In order for the walking mechanism to function the However, dolls are today currently made of soft and resiliently flexible material, to a large extent because of the more life-like feel of such dolls.' Considerable difficulty has been encountered in utilizing doll legs formed of such flexible material in conjunction with the walking mechanisms. One solution to this diflicultyis taught in'my Patent 2,753,659 of July 10,

*1956,"entitled Doll' of Flexible Material With Freely Rotatable 'Body'Members and assigned to the assignee of the instant application. The structure there disclosed, however, is complex, comparatively expensive, and difficult to assemble.

The structureof the-presentinvention is considerably simpler than any heretofore suggested for the solution of the problems involved; It entails the use of a rigid member adaptdto be inserted into the hollow interior of the doll leg at 'the upper end thereof and to directly engage the walking mechanism, the doll mechanism being so constructed as to receive this insert and effectively prevent it from being pulled out from the leg, the insert and the leg being fixedto 'one another in a predetermined relative rotational position. To that'end the leg is provided with a 'hollow atlitsupper end into which the rigid insert is adapted to be received, the upper portion of the hollow, at the open, end thereof, being provided with a flange which snaps over theupper edge of the insert and thus reliably retains it within the hollow. The leg is provided with an element, preferably in the form of a wall extending substantially completely thereacross,which limits the inward movement of thegrigid insert, the height of the insert being substantially the same as the axial distance the cylindrical ends 16 of the supporting element 14.

between the flange and the wall. Registering apertures are provided in the leg and the insert through which a pin is passed for rotation-preventing purposes, this pin also serving to prevent separation of the insert from the leg. If desired the bottom wall of the hollow may be provided with an aperture and the insert may be provided with a projection which passes through the aperture and engages the wall with a snap action, thus providing further security to the assembly.

The insert may be formed in one piece or of a'plurality of pieces, but in either event may be very readily and inexpensively molded from plastic material, and its assembly with the leg may be readily carried out.

To the accomplishment of the above, and to such other objects as may hereinafter appear, the present invention relates to the doll leg structure as defined in the appended claims, and as described in this specification, taken together with the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. l is a front plan view, partially broken away, showing a doll in which the present invention is incorporated;

Fig. 2 is a cross sectional View on an enlarged scale of one of the leg joints of the doll of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a cross sectional view taken along the line 3-3 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is .a cross sectional view taken along the line 4-4 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 5 is a view similar to Fig. 4 but showing an alternative embodiment for the rigid insert; and s Fig. 6 is a view similar to Fig. 4 but showing yet another alternative embodiment for the insert.

As here disclosed the doll comprises a body 2 on. which a head 4 is mounted and at the upper extremity of which arms 6 are mounted in any appropriate manner. The'doll is provided witha walking mechanism generally designated 8, mounted within the hollow doll body 2 at the lower end thereof and opposite apertures 10 adapted to receive portions of the legs 12.

The walking mechanism comprises a supporting element 14 having cylindrical ends 16 and having an axial passage 18 therethrough. A central upward projection 20 is preferably formed integral therewith, said projection having a vertical aperture 22 into which the end 24 .of an operating shaft 26 is received, that shaft having an integrally formed pair of looped portions28 positioned above the tip 24 and extending to either side thereof and over A pair of substantially identical movable members generally designated 30 are rotatably mounted, one on-each of the cylindrical element ends 16. The outer end surfaces of the movable members 30 are provided with grooves 32. The movable members 30 are interconnected for alternate back and forth movement, so as to cause the legs 12 to simulate walking in a manner to be explained hereinafter, by means of pins 36 secured to'and' extending upwardly from the movable members 30 and entering the loops 28 formed in the shaft 26. The upper end of the shaft 26 may be journalled in the body 2 in any desired manner, or may be connected, if desired, to the head 4 so as to impart a swinging movement to the head when the doll Walks.

The doll body 2 as well as the head 4 or arms 6 if desired, is preferably formed of some soft and flexible material such as rubber, vinyl or the like. The legs 12 are also formed of the same type of material, are hollow, and have upper portions generally designated 38 which are adapted to be rotatively received within the body apertures 10 to simulate a hip joint. Those upper portions 38 comprise a side wall 40 having a radially inwardly extending flange 42 at the upper end thereof, an opening 44 being defined by the radially inner surface of the flange 42. The interior of the upper leg portion 38 has an element extending radially inwardly from the side wall 40 and axially inwardly spaced a predetermined distance from the flange 42, that element being here shown in the form of a wall 46 integrally formed with the leg proper 12, as by slush molding, and extending substantially completely across the interior of the leg. For purposes to be described hereinafter in connection with Figs. and 6, the wall 46 may be provided with an aperture 48. A hollow portion 50 is thus defined in the interior of the upper leg portion 38, closed on its sides by the leg side wall 40, partially or completely closed at its axial inner end by the leg wall 46, and open at its outer or upper end through the aperture 44, access to the hollow 50 being achieved via the aperture 44.

A rigid insert generally designated 52 is adapted to be received within the hollow 50. In the form shown in Figs. 1-4 this insert comprises a ring or annulus 54 of rigid plastic material, the height of that ring being.

substantially equal to the axial distance between the flange 42 and the wall 46, the outer diameter and configuration of the ring being substantially the same as that of the inner side surface of the hollow 50, and the thickness of the ring being shown as somewhat greater than the width of the flange 42. A pair of aligned openings 56 are provided in the ring 54, and a pin generally designated 58 is received within the openings 56 and extends across the open interior of the ring 54. As here disclosed the pin 58 is provided with end portions 60 of comparatively wide diameter which fit fairly snugly within the openings 56 and which also are sized to cooperate with the grooves 32 in the movable members of the walking mechanism 8, a portion 62' of reduced diameter extending between the wider portions 60 and. around which the end of the spring 64 of the walking mechanism 8 is adapted to engage.

The insert 52, comprising the ring 54 with the pin 58 assembled thereto, is adapted to be inserted into the hollow 50 merely by being pressed through the leg aperture 44 until it substantially reaches the leg wall 46, the resiliency of the material of which the upper portion 38 of the leg 12 is formed enabling that portion to expand to permit such insertion. After the rigid insert 52 has substantially reached the leg wall 46, the flange 42 will snap over the upper edge of the ring 54, thus retaining it in place and effectively preventing its withdrawal.

In order to further serve to prevent the withdrawal of the insert 52 from the hollow 50, and also to accurately fix the relativerotative position of the insert 55 52 with respect the leg 12, one or more apertures 64 are provided in the leg wall 40, and the ring 54 is provided with apertures 66 adapted to register with the apertures 64 when the proper relative rotational relationship has been achieved. Pins 68 are then passed through parable to that of the material of which the leg 12 is formed, or at least colored so as to simulate that material, in order that the existence of the pins 68 should not mar the appearance of the doll in the event that their outer ends should be exposed to view. While the pins 68 may be formed entirely of plastic, it may be preferred to provide them with a rigidifying metallic core.

The insert 52 integrally rigidifies the upper end 38 of the leg, thus preventing its collapse and ensuring that a proper hip joint action will result. The spring 64 acts to pull the insert 52 into the doll body 2, and the leg 12 will be carried along therewith. Even if the leg 12 be pulled outwardly, as would be the case when the leg is to be disengaged from the walking mechanism, the insert 54 will remain fixed in position by virtue of the action of the flange thereon and the cooperative action of the pins 68, the latter also serving to positively prevent any rotative slippage between the insert 52 and the leg 12.

In the embodiment of Fig. 5 the insert 52 comprises a ring 54 with which a bottom wall 70 is integrally formed, that bottom wall 70 carrying an integral arrowhead projection 72. The projection 72 will force its way through the aperture 48 in the leg wall 46, that aperture 48 widening to permit the passage of the projection 72 because of the resilient nature of the wall 46. After the insert 52 has been moved to final position the wall 46, or otherwise considered, the aperture 48 therein, will snap behind the projection 72 and thus serve as an additional means for retaining the insert 52 in position.

The ring 54 of Fig. 5 is also provided with a pair of inwardly extending bosses 74 and 74', an aperture 76 extending from the outer periphery of the ring 54' through the boss 74 and the inner end of the boss 74' being provided with a registering aperture 78. A comparatively thin pin 80 is adapted to pass through the with which the projection 72' is integral, is formed separate from the ring 54' and is adapted to be secured thereto in any appropriate manner, as through the use of adhesive or plastic welding.

From the above it will be appreciated that although the doll legs 12 may be formed of a soft and flexible manufactured on a production scale, and that assembly a of the parts is greatly facilitated.

While but a limited number of embodiments of the present invention are here disclosed, it will be apparent that many variations may be made therein, all within the scope of the present invention as defined in the following claims.

I claim: I

1. A doll leg adapted for use with a walking mechanism, said leg being formed of flexible material and having an open-ended hollow at its upper end defined by a side wall with a flange extending radially inwardly adjacent the upper open end thereof, a wall extending substantially completely across the interior of said leg at a point axially inwardly spaced from said flange, said At least the outer end of the pin 68 may, if desired, be formed of plastic comwall having an aperture therethrough, and a rigid member having a rim height about the same as the axial distance between said flange and said wall and a radially outer configuration substantially the same as the inner configuration of said side wall, said rigid member being received within said hollow between said flange and said wall and carrying a part adapted for cooperation with a walking mechanism, and rotation-preventing means operatively connected between said leg and said member,

said rigid member carrying a part depending therefrom and adapted to pass through said aperture in said wall and interlocked with said wall.

2. The doll leg of claim 1, in which said leg has an aperture and said member has a recess in its outer surface registering with said aperture when said member is in proper position within said hollow, and a pin comprising said rotation-preventing means and extending through said aperture and into said recess, and in which said rigid member comprises an annulus of plastic material having an aperture through one side thereof and a registering recess in the inner surface of the opposite side thereof, said part adapted for cooperation with walking mechanism comprising a rod passable through said aperture and received within said recess.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Lower Feb. 27, 1934 Jackson Nov. 12, 1935 Wagler Oct. 29, 1940 Di Leva Dec. 30, 1952 Ravich et a1. Aug. 10, 1954 Baggott Mar. 26, 1957 

